I'm going to austri for 6 months. I got the box that has all of the different plugs for the apple power plug. Is that all I need? I know the outlets over there are much more powerful, does the apple adaptor have some way to compensate for this? i don't want my MBP to get fried when i plug it in.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Power overseas
- Thread starter jkramb
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'd like to know, is there something special about the Apple travel adapters? ...or are they the same as any generic ones? ...besides being white.
$50 is a cash grab imo unless there's some kind of special power adjustment....because those travel plugs can be picked up at most any electronics or hardware shop for a fraction of that price.
$50 is a cash grab imo unless there's some kind of special power adjustment....because those travel plugs can be picked up at most any electronics or hardware shop for a fraction of that price.
They're a little more convenient: instead of plugging into an adaptor, you replace the plug on the power brick itself, but other than that there's no difference between the Apple plugs and a standard $5 adaptor (which is what I bought when I went to Germany).
My travels
I bought the adapters, but when I went to Aus, I found that the extra chord length was too much to sacrifice so I just used a generic american to Aus converter. Buying something like that gives you the added benefit of being able to charge other things like cameras or cell phones without special plugs for each one. However, if you're only going for a while you can buy the whole kit and sell all or the unused portion when you're done to someone else.
I bought the adapters, but when I went to Aus, I found that the extra chord length was too much to sacrifice so I just used a generic american to Aus converter. Buying something like that gives you the added benefit of being able to charge other things like cameras or cell phones without special plugs for each one. However, if you're only going for a while you can buy the whole kit and sell all or the unused portion when you're done to someone else.
Regardless of what country I'm in, I just use the standard US 2 prong fold-able adaptor, it's much easier to travel with and since the power brick doesn't have earth anyway, seems kinda pointless having an adaptor with a third prong. Though I did add some plastic protectors to the pins to help avoid spikes... dunno does it help to be honest.
I read on the Apple store comments that some guy bought their travel adapter kit & fried their G4 Powerbook logic board....said what they should have been using was the power converter not the adapter. Anyone have any experience w/ this?
Sounds like a electrical surge to me, that could fry just about anything electrical.... perhaps the guy should of invested in a fire/surge protector?
nope. power brick has no problem with 220. I use it every day. Most likely a power surge. Just had a doozy of a surge in my buddy's apartment - fried everything he had plugged in (including his computer). ouch.